2—Friday, ,,May 23, 1975
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Purely Commentary
Deserved Honors for the Distinguished Stollmans . . .
JNF's Award and a Recollection of Growth of Penny-
a-Day Fund and the Philanthropy in Jewish Ranks
The Award to the Stollmans
and a Bit of JNF History
JNF income was very low in the years
preceding Israel's sovereignty.
Ussishkin was in Detroit in 1932. He was
A triple award by the Jewish National welcomed at the old City Hall by the then
Fund to prominent Detroiters merits special Mayor Frank Murphy. He met with Zionist
leaders at the home of the late Mr. and Mrs.
attention.
The Stollmans — Max, Frieda and Phillip Isaac _Shetzer on Longfellow and pleaded
— have earned the accolades from a leading hopelessly for greater support. He had a
Zionist agency because their devotions have large wall map with him to outline the avail-
been primarily in behalf of Israel. They are ability of strategic land and the necessity for
the leaders in Orthodox ranks. Young Israel additional settlers. The response was
owes them a debt of gratitude. Akiva Day meager. The comparative niggardliness was
School counts them among its main support- explained in two letters this Commentator
ers. The Jewish National Fund has been and received from Ussishkin. They are worth
remains among their major beneficiaries of recalling:
New York, Feb. 1, 1931
generous gifts.
Dear Mr. Slomovitz:
Bar-Ilan University in Ramat Gan, Israel,
Thank you for your letter and for
is filled with evidence of the many gifts that
the clippings. I note with interest your
have been made to it by the Stollmans and
practical participation in our project
the leadership of these three fine people in
for Eretz Israel. I am gratified to
mobilizing support for the university. Bar-
know that my visit left a favorable im-
Ilan and JNF have supplemented the United
pression on the Detroit Community.
Jewish Appeal to which the Stollmans con-
Of course, naturally, I am particu-
tinue to give with great generosity and in be-
larly concerned in regard to the prac-
half of which they share community leader-
tical outcome, and while I realize the
ship.
I have to state that the amount re-
ceived in cash by the Jewish National
Fund in Palestine from the U.S.A.
from 1st October 1931 to date is $58,-
700. In respect to the loan to the Zion-
ist Organization of America, I regret
to have to confirm that your informa-
tion is correct. As soon as word
reached us of this proposal we at once
protested but our protest was too late,
the loan having been approved.
With regard to the reform of this
unhappy situation, I must leave it to
you and to our other friends in Amer-
ica to decide what steps should best be
taken. You will realize that it is im-
possible for us to be satisfied with the
amount received by the Keren Kaye-
meth from a community as large as
that in the U.S.A., one of the principal
countries, if not the most important,
upon which we have to depend.
I thank you for your good wishes
and reciprocate your greetings.
Sincerely yours,
MENAHEM USSISHKIN, President
Keren Kayemeth Le Israel
By Philip
Slomovitz
Honoring Another Stollman
Rabbi Isaac Stollman, another distin-
guished member of a family that has earned
the community's respect and admiration,
also will he honored here. The Vaad Hara-
bonim is to be commended for making him
the honoree at its annual dinner. The occa-
sion will be an opportunity for Detroit to pay
due respect to a man who has rendered nota-
ble services to Jewry locally and nationally
and who continues his Jewish devotions
since taking up residence in Jerusalem a dec-
ade ago.
A noted talmudic scholar and eloq
speaker, Rabbi Stollman has the distinction
of having served the Mizrachi religious Zion-
ist movement as president during the critical
years before Israel's statehood and in the
first years of her statehood. He had a major
role in the world Mizrachi movement and the
affections of Detroit Jewry for him are
shared by Jews in Israel and many centers in
other countries.
reasons why Detroit undertook only a
Freedom of the Seas?
minimum commitment, I trust that
before I leave the country the first in-
The disparity is understandably related to
In his announcement that the 39 crew men
stallment on account of the land to be the recollection of the growth of generosity of the Mayaguez were safe and that a crisis
bought in Detroit's name, will be in Jewish ranks in the record that has been had been resolved, President Ford made the
forthcoming. I hope that you can as- set here by the Allied Jewish Campaign. In important point that the action he had taken
sure me that this will be so.
1930 the drive raised $326,017 from 5,047 was to guarantee international freedom of
Sincerely yours, contributors.
the seas.
MENAHEM USSISHKIN. President
In 1974, the Allied Jewish Campaign-Is-
Will this act also assure freedom of the
Keren Kayemeth Le Israel rael Emergency Fund raised $22,406,110 seas for Israel?
The current JNF dinner in behalf of the
Stollmans inspires reminiscences about the
growth of the JNF — the Keren Kayemeth
le-Israel. The fund commenced humbly. Its
motto had been A penny a day is the JNF
way. That's how minute was the income —
that the thoughts were in the form of pen-
nies. It has grown to larger proportions, else
there would not have been the many forests,
the numerous settlements on JNF-redeemed
land, the schools and universities on grounds
secured prior to the rebirth of Israel at heavy
costs paid to rich Arab landowners.
The genius of Menahem Ussishkin, who
defied Zionist skepticism and hesitancy re-
garding their value by purchasing large
tracts of land in the Galil for the settlement
of Jewish pioneers, led to the progress that
had been made by the JNF. But Ussishkin,
like many other Zionist leaders, struggled
against indifference and complacency. The
Jerusalem, July 6, 1932
Dear Mr. Slomovitz,
I have received your letter of 15th
June, in which you complain of the
smallness of the remittances to Pales-
tine of the Jewish National Fund of
America, and the loan of a sum of
$10,000 for the period of 10 years to the
Zionist Organization of America by
the Jewish National Fund of the
U.S.A.
from 23,396 participating donors.
This year, the sum total for another note-
worthy campaign will be close to $18 million
from approximately 23,000 contributors.
Generosity keeps increasing with the
needs. No matter how large the gifts today,
they do not suffice — so great is the demand
for help and encouragement to Israel. There
is greater understanding than ever before
and in such a period the community finds sa-
tisfaction in giving recognition to the labors
of people like the Stollmans.
President Eisenhower had pledged it for
Israel in the Suez Canal but it was not ad-
hered to.
Now Egypt again rules Israel out of such
an established right.
Will the rejection of Cambodia's piracy
also be applied to Israel in the Suez?
President Ford and the U. S. again are
tested in the agonized Mediterranean mis-
carriage of justice.
Will Israel remain penalized? The answer
is primarily in the power of President Ford.
Little
Known OSE- Relief movement Recalled in Novel, Out of the Fire'
.A very important Jewish
international relief move-
ment is, unfortunately, lit-
tle known. Since the end of
the war, it has been referred
to very seldom. OSE, nev-
ertheless, retains an impor-
tant place in Jewish history.
According to the Univer-
sal Jewish Encyclopedia,
OSE (l'Organisation de
Sante et l'Education), World
Union for the Protection of
the Health of the Jews, was
organized in 1912 in St. Pe-
tersburg, Russia, to combat
the high morbidity and mor-
tality rate among the Rus-
sian Jews and to raise their
physical and mental level
through various preventive
measures and through the
spread of information on
hygiene.
The need for special Jew-
ish institutions arose from
the oppressive conditions of
Jewish life under the yoke
of legislative restrictions
and grave discriminations in
various spheres of their ac-
tivity. In addition to the cap-
ital, branches of the OSE
were organized in a number
of larger centers such as
Moscow, Vilna, Kiev, Khar-
kov and Odessa.
.
The systematic work
begun in 1912 was inter-
rupted by the First World
War (1914), which called
for special relief measures
on behalf of the war vic-
tims and the hundreds of
thousands of refugees and
exiles from Poland and
Western Russia. At that and supplied medica-
time the OSE created a ments, drugs and serums.
whole network of aid-sta-
A new volume, fortun-
tions for refugees under ately, revives an interest
way and at the points of in OSE.
exile in eastern and south-
The volume, "Out of the
ern Russia.
, by Ernst Papenek
Fire"
In Poland, the former with Edward Linn ( Wil -
OSE branches which exited Liam Morrow and Co.,
in western Russia (Vilna,
na, New York), details the
Bialystok, Grodno) as well experience of a group of
as a number of newly organ- displaced children whose
ized sections in Poland and fate was in the hands of
Galicia, united into the TOZ the OSE from 1939 to the
Union (Towarzystwo Och- end of World War II.
ropy Zdrowi.
-. 1939, just
Papanek, a man with a
before the outbreak of the formidable
repon i n
reputation
Second World War, the TOZ
had seventy branches and Socialist and educational
368 medical-hygienic insti- circles in Europe, was
hired by the OSE in 1939 to
tutions.
run four homes for 320
The work of the TOZ was children
in France.
and train a devoted staff to
With the advance of the deaths in the concentration
care for the children who German army the children camps.
ranged in age from toddlers fled south to unoccupied
to 16 year olds.
One hundred and twenty
France. From there the Pa-
Papanek analyzes the panek family escaped to the children made it to the U.S.
emotional problems of these United States and Dr. Papa- and a small number of those
tormented children with a nek immediately set about who ended in concentration
rare understanding of the trying to bring the children camps survived. Many of
those carry to this day a
complex personal, political to the U.S.
heartbreaking load of guilt
and f amily conditions which
Papanek's reports on that they lived while others
created them. His educa-
tional method was based on the imminent danger to died.
helping the children restor e the children were met with
- disbelief by the American
In the United States, Dr.
their own sense of self
lf- Jewish community, and a
Papanek
was executive di-
worth, on maintaining ties
with their separated fami- maze of red tape from the rector of the Brooklyn
lies, on creating a sense of governmental and private Training School for Girls
and later in the same posi-
community in the "homes" agencies involved.
tion at the Wiltwyck School
where they lived, by setting
As the Vichy government for Boys. His experiments
up a system in which they capitulated to the demands at these institutions in psy-
shared (but did not dictate) of the Nazis, even the stren- chiatric treatment, milieu
in decision-making with the uous efforts of the French
concentrated on the dissem-
therapy and re-education of
It became Papanek's job adults, and by being corn- Underground to save the
ination of public health in-
juvenile
delinquents, his
formation, medical supervi- to enlist the aid of the weal- pletely honest with them at children failed for lack of a
numerous lectures and arti-
sion
children, thy French Jewish commu- all times about the conduct place of refuge in the U.S., cles
over
made him known and
eradication of social di- nity in locating and pur- of the war and the danger and more than half of the respected
all over the world.
chasing
homes,
and
to
hire
they
were
in.
seases, general medical help
children went to their He died in 1973.
and scientific research.
The OSE Central Corn-
mittee had to be transferred
to Paris in 1934, and to PARIS (JTA) — French
where 140,000 Jews lived
activities. The French into mosques or into librar-
Montpellier, France, in President Valery Giscard some 10 years ago.
Consistory says that sev-
ies. Said stated that in most
1940. Beginning with 1938 d'Estaing's visit to Algiers
eral synagogues operate in cases the expropriation was
Today,
that
once
prosper-
the OSE opened near Paris in early April, where he
Algiers but a French uni-
carried out with the agree-
ous and rich community has
a number of homes for chil- spent several days discuss-
ment of the local commu-
versity
lecturer,
Henri
dren from Germany and ing French-Algerian rela- . dwindled to a couple of
nity which could not oppose'
Chemouilli, who recently
thousand
old,
sick
and
for-
Austria and for children of tions and the Middle East
returned from a two-week
such a step because of an ob-
interned refugees. with President Houari Bou- gotten individuals. Even
study mission, said only
vious lack of worshippers.
Throughout the war the
mediene and other govern- their exact number is not
one synagogue is still
Practically all the local
known.
.
TOZ continued its activi-
ment leaders, has spot-
open.
Jews are being financially
ties in Warsaw and in 32
lighted a small Jewish
In spite of their proxim-
helped by either the JDC or
other localities of Poland.
the French consulates. The
community less than an ity to France, with which
Most of the former syn-
It maintained clinics, ren-
they have old and tradi-
Algerian authorities pay
agogues have been taken
hour's flight from metropol- tional
idered aid to refugees, com-
ties, little is known
about $25 per month to
over
by
the
local
authorities
itan France, that of Algeria about the community's
batted infectious diseases,
those over 65 years old.
and have been converted
1.
The Jews of Algeria —A Dying Community